9 Practical Tips On How to Clean White Dust From Your Humidifier!

Cleaning white dust stains from a humidifier are possibly done by soaking the parts in a decalcifier solution, bleach, or white vinegar. You can also avoid the accumulation by adding demineralization cartridges or tablets or better yet use distilled water to avoid white dust in the future.


If your concern is the surrounding white dust on your furniture, you can easily wipe it off using a clean towel or place the humidifier on a pad so the white dust will be collected. Adjusting the mist setting also lessens the white dust emission or better yet, switch to the evaporative humidifier or steam vaporizers to get rid of it.


Although a humidifier makes the indoor air comfortable and keeps your health at bay, you may have to fight against white dust and it’s a nasty thing to overlook especially if you have hard water at home.


The ultrasonic and impeller type are the two kinds of portable humidifiers that produce white dust by turning the water into vapor which is then is diffused out of the humidifier in a mist form.


You can lessen the accumulation of white dust by learning how to clean and what to use. And with this, I came up with an article guide to help you out in dealing with this issue.


Does White Dust Have

 Harmful Effects?

Does White Dust Have Harmful Effects

White dust is a natural by-product of the minerals existing in the water which can land on your furniture, counter-tops, tables, etc. creating a thin white coating.


It is not harmful in any way and nothing to be concerned about except if you have an allergy, asthma, and other respiratory concerns.


However, I strongly suggest that if your humidifier does produce a white dust, avoid using it inside your baby’s room or the nursery or anywhere in the house where your child stays.


This is in line with a pediatric report that humidifiers producing white dust are not good for infants and children with lung issues as it may cause serious injury after breathing in.


Your concern as a parent does not only lies within your child but as well as to everything inside the house that may creepingly harm them directly or indirectly. Being a mom, it’s pretty much comforting that there is something you can do to make things work out.


How to Clean White Dust from a Humidifier

how to clean white dust from a humidifier

Good and regular maintenance can effectively prolong the lifespan of any appliance and also reduce any issues it may face just like how white dust can ruin your humidifier and your home furniture.


Fortunately, it’s easy to manage white dust as long as you follow the unit’s recommended cleanup guides. If you got some mild issues with it, try the following steps on how to clean white dust from a humidifier:


You can use any cleaning solutions, like household items such as vinegar and bleach. Regular white vinegar would do but if you are looking for extra cleaning strength, I recommend Bluewater Chemgroup’s multipurpose vinegar which has 20% pure and natural vinegar content but with industrial-strength concentrate.


Bleach is another handy solution you can rely on when it comes to cleaning the humidifier tank and parts. EZ- X Clean is an activated bleach tablet that’s made for clothes and cleaning purposes.


It also eliminates bad odors caused by build-ups, molds, and mildew. What I like about this product is that it’s very handy and economical compared to liquid bleach. You can simply drop a tablet or two while soaking the humidifier parts in water.


5 Useful Tricks on How to Get Rid of White Dust


Considering everything at hand, you may now wonder if there is a way to use your humidifier without white dust. There are a handful of tips actually and you need to be stern in applying them to drastically remove the accumulation or build-ups and white dust production.


  • Use distilled water as much as possible. Although it can get too expensive, distilled water is still the best option to get rid of white dust and also protects your unit. Softening the water will help minimize white dust formation by boiling the water or by using a reverse osmosis water system if you have really hard water at home.
  • If you own an ultrasonic type, add demineralization tablets or cartridges. Known to be the quietest humidifier type, ultrasonic, however, has a side effect when used along with regular tap water. White dust emission can get too nasty if not given a proper solution right away.
  • Get a warm or cool mist evaporative humidifier type. Evaporative cool mist and warm mist humidifiers do not leave white dust on your surface. Cool mist humidifier, however, emits a loud noise which can be disturbing at times.
  • Clean your humidifier on a regular basis. Regular maintenance also avoids white dust accumulation. Cleaning your humidifier using the above steps and also cleaning the room furniture can greatly reduce any white film coating.
  • Change the filters frequently. If you are already using a filtered type, your challenge is pretty much reduced to cleaning or changing the filters only since it prohibits any dirt and other agents from going into the air. You may also opt for those units that use reusable filters.



4 Practical Tips on How to Protect Home Furniture from White Dust

protect furniture from white dust


Apart from regularly cleaning your humidifier, you should also take into consideration about protecting your furniture and other appliances that sit beside or near the unit.

Here are some practical tips on how to protect your home furniture from white dust:

  • Never place the humidifier on the floor, especially when it’s wooden or carpeted.
  • If you are using ultrasonic humidifiers, switch it to the lowest mist setting and make sure the nozzles are pointing upwards
  • Place silicon or plastic tray or rubber mats under the humidifier to cover the furniture and also reduce the vibrations.
  • Use a microfiber towel to clean white dust on the surfaces


Check out this video for more tips on how to make the most of your humidifier and get rid of white dust.


Summary


Using a humidifier to alleviate certain health concerns is actually good, however, you must be aware of the unit’s consequences.


One of the most common issues I normally receive is white dust but, it is also the easiest and quickest to resolve.


The problem with white dust is actually determined by your water and how you clean. If you have softened water at home, then there is little white dust emission, while still, distilled water is the best solution to totally eliminate white dust.


All other alternatives are practical options only and these can make or break the situation. What you can do here is to clean the humidifier on a regular basis so you won’t have to worry much about white dust.


Cleaning shouldn’t be expensive too, you can use household cleaning agents like your bleach and white vinegar to get rid of white dust.


Although an evaporative type can be great in dealing with white dust, there is still no guarantee that it will totally eliminate the issue. In the end, proper maintenance and a handful of humidifier background can save you from these kinds of hassles.